Study: Consumers want to interact, be ‘friends’ with brands

A few recent reports highlight the importance of engaging with audiences through social media and by creating compelling content.

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A Trendera study reveals that 63 percent of consumers want brands to treat them like friends. The report also says lifestyle preferences aren’t noticeably different between consumers ages 18 to 50, meaning brand managers should look beyond targeting demographics.

“The days of impressing consumers with targeted marketing based solely on demographics are in the past,” Trendera’s president, Liz Gray, tells Adweek. “Marketing in 2015 is about treating your audience as fans, not customers.”

Marketers say interaction is most important

That’s good news for marketers who feel that interacting with consumers is their top priority.

An Ascend2 report reveals that 64 percent of marketing professionals feel that increasing engagement with their audiences is the most important aspect of social media efforts.

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